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Huawei hosted its highly anticipated ‘Innovation Day’ at GITEX Technology Week – and outlined its strategic vision aimed at continuing the acceleration of ‘digital transformation’ in the GCC region. The event hosted a number of high-profile and distinguished panelists which were comprised from a host of leading ICT firms and regulatory bodies.

The Innovation Day summit focused on the role Huawei will play in both driving digital transformation and building sustainable knowledge-based economies in the Middle East. Edward Zhou, Vice President of Global Affairs at Huawei Technologies stressed that we’re living in a dynamic world in which technology changes every single day. He highlighted how everything will be ‘connected’ in the future.

Zhou said, “At Huawei we do believe in the very short future that everything will be ‘connected’. The connectivity will not be restricted to smartphones or smart watches, but we will have sensors to detect environment, to crack data for us among a lot of other things. Not just human beings, everything will be connected.”

Space Lee, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications Middle East focused on the unique strengths the Middle East has in order to fuel ‘digitalization’. He pointed out the region’s ‘openness’ towards innovation as being a key factor in its success thus far, and the reason many feel it will lead the way moving forward.

Lee said, “The Middle East has a pressing need to go digital, and companies here really need to capitalize on digital opportunities that are presented to them. The GCC region has unique strengths that will fuel its ‘digitalization’. It has always had portrayed an ‘openness’ towards innovation and that willingness on a national level will help it accelerate the process.”

Dr. Mohammed A. Al Amer, chairman, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Bahrain, said we were living in exciting times and that he was humbled to be playing a role in it as Chairman of the TRA in Bahrain. He compared the forthcoming era of ‘digital transformation’ to that of the Industrial revolution and says it will have massive impact on how we live our lives.

Al Amer said, “Digital transformation will push progress beyond to what today seems impossible. Revolution is in its early stages and companies are increasingly moving operations online to harness the power of big data and artificial intelligence to cater their clients. Our governments have stated that top priority is to have knowledge-based economy and we believe that ICT is highly important for us and is the future."